A New York jury decided on Wednesday that three-term Governor George Pataki did not violate the criminals' rights by authorizing a program to involuntarily commit them to mental instituions after they completed their sentences, the Associated Press reported.
The case had stemmed from Pataki's decision in 2005 to have health and prison officials evaluate the worst sex offenders for possible civil commitment once released from prison.
This particular prison was halted in 2006 after a state court found that several men who were committed should have been entitled to hearings before confinement. The AP also said that some remained in psychiatric institutions for years afterward.
In 2008, six sex offenders sued Pataki and other officials in 2007, claiming they abused their authority by denying them their freedom.
The Sexually Violent Predator Initiative was a "sham" attempt to "bypass the Constitution," plaintiffs' attorney Reza Rezvani said in closing arguments on Monday. "You know that the Constitution applies to everybody... No one is saying don't lock up the bad guys. You do it right and you're fair."
The jury found one official, former state health commissioner Sharon Carpinello, liable in the case. Nonetheless, it only awarded the plaintiffs $1 each in damages.
Afterward, Carpinello expressed relief, saying the minuscule damages showed the jury believed her testimony that the plaintiffs "were very much in need of treatment." Pataki was not present to hear the verdict.
Pataki's attorney Abbe Lowell said the former governor "sought to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers and make sure that they were well-served by their government. He achieved this by keeping the law and the constitution priorities all the time. The jury verdict confirmed this."
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